High-Speed Chase Becomes Manhunt Outside Cannon Falls

Cannon Falls Police and the Minnesota State Patrol report there were some tense moments in Cannon Falls on Monday when a high-speed chase turned into a manhunt.

The State Patrol reports the call came in about 9:30 Monday morning that an accident occurred after a high speed chase on Highway 19 at 40th Avenue just west of Cannon Falls.

The State Patrol report said a Jaguar S-Type was heading west on Highway 19 when the driver lost control and rolled off the road. The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle and transported to the hospital.

Twenty-five-year old Alexander J. Taylor of Minneapolis was identified as the driver and the State Patrol report said he suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The State Patrol report does not mention a passenger, but a news release issued by the Cannon Falls Police Department says about 10 minutes before the crash they responded to a driving complaint of a pickup pulling a trailer with the ramps down.

Officer Mike Fluhrer came upon a motor vehicle accident at Highway 20 involving a semi and classic car, the driver of the car fled from the scene on foot. At that time, the pickup arrived at the intersection and the officer attempted to to stop the vehicle on foot.

The news release says the driver swerved hard and took off.

A gun safe on the trailer flew off and onto the shoulder of County Road 29.

Fluhrer jumped into his squad in pursuit and about a mile down the road came upon the vehicle crashed in Dakota County. The male driver fled on foot to a farmhouse.

Cannon Falls Police Chief Jeffery McCormick responded to assist and drove to the other side of the farmhouse to set up a perimeter when a vehicle came down the driveway and the chief believes it was just stolen.

A chase ensued and the driver lost control on Highway 19 westbound just past the Summit Golf Course and crashed, according to the accident reported by the State Highway Patrol.

The Cannon Falls news release states there was another suspect that fled the area and Cannon Falls police were joined by Goodhue County and Dakota County sheriff's deputies in searching for the suspect along with the use of a K-9 officer and State Patrol helicopter.

After searching they were informed someone had hitched a ride from the area to a location south of Cannon Falls near the old Edgewood Restaurant location. The officers and helicopter all went to the location and apprehended the other suspect. Once in custody, he informed officers he had ingested a bunch of methamphetamine.

Two other occupants of the residence also advised officers they had ingested a bunch of methamphetamine while the house was being surrounded.

While that was happening, Dakota County deputies located the residence of the car owner of the first crash involving a semi, and found the vehicle had been stolen and the resident burglarized and a gun safe taken.

The pickup was also a stolen vehicle from the metro area, and the vehicle McCormick pursued believing it was stolen was, in fact, taken. The trailer behind the pickup is still being investigated to determine if it was stolen.

The Cannon Falls Police Department news release does not identify the second suspect taken into custody.